Bottled Water - Why?

In the last few decades, bottled water has become hugely popular. In Britain alone almost £2 billion is sold annually. Although bottled water is associated with health, the bottled water industry does not claim that its product is better for you or safer than what comes out of your tap. In fact, a study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council in the US found that about 25% of the bottled water they tested was just bottled tap water. And almost 25% of the brands they tested had levels of potentially dangerous chemicals that exceeded the safety limits.

These chemicals included phthalates that leach from the plastic bottles themselves. Phthalates affect the body’s hormones and can cause male infertility and reproductive tract defects. Fetal exposure to these chemicals may also affect brain development and behavior. Although their levels are regulated in tap water, no safety limits for these chemicals exist for bottled water. These chemicals are not just limited to bottled water. Because plastic products are so common, phthalates massively contaminate the oceans as well.

Bottled water can also contain bacteria such as campylobacter, an important cause of foodborne illness. In Europe, natural mineral water is not treated for microorganisms before bottling even though these microorganisms can survive for long periods of time in the bottle. In the past, bottled mineral water has been the source of bacteria that cause cholera and may have been the source of typhoid fever.

An alternative exists for people who do not want to drink tap water, whether due to concerns about its safety or its taste. Water filters can remove chemicals and other contaminants from tap water and provide more healthful and better tasting water. Filtered water costs much less than bottled water and does not contribute to pollution or the chemical poisoning of our environment.

National Academy of Sciences (2008, December 23). EPA Should Pursue Cumulative Risk Assessment Of Phthalates And Other Chemicals, Experts Urge. Science Daily. Retrieved January 8, 2009, from

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081218122208.htm

Evans MR, Ribeiro CD, Salmon RL. Hazards of healthy living: bottled water and salad vegetables as risk factors for campylobacter infection. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003 Oct. Available from: URL:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol9no10/02-0823.htm

Heap T. BBC. Bottled Water: Who needs it? Available at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/7247130.stm.

Accessed January 8, 2008.